


You Owe Me

by yourrhinestoneeyes



Category: Re-Animator (1985)
Genre: Herbert saves Dan, M/M, Related to Bride of Re-Animator, gay scientists, sort of a headcanon of mine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 17:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2476409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourrhinestoneeyes/pseuds/yourrhinestoneeyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Herbert and Dan made up the simple rule that no matter what Herbert wasn't to use the reagent on Dan, ever. Too bad Herbert is very terrible at keeping his word.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Owe Me

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of a headcanon I have. Also me and a friend have been saying how there isn't enough ReAnimator fan fiction in the world.

Two very basic rules had been set up in their relationship; Dan no longer allowed Herbert to use the reagent on himself and also he was never allowed to use it on Dan if something were to happen to him. The problem was that Herbert never figured in the near future that something would happen to Dan that would make him wonder if he should listen to his partner or to the overwhelming panic in his mind. 

Herbert stood in the safety of thick trees and over hanging vines. He didn't have much time and Dan was just barely breathing, no normal means of medicine or machines could save him. It had taken all of the shorter man's physical strength to drag Dan's body from the tent to here. He had stopped all the main causes of the bleeding, there wasn't much time. People were yelling for all medical personal that it was time to go, it was dangerous; the yells of soldiers were drowned out by the yells and gun shots. He was very low on time.

Dan didn't necessarily need to know, Herbert was smart enough to already know the amount of complaining he would hear if Dan found out. 

He tapped his index finger against the plastic of the syringe.

Time, never enough time; that was the problem with his experiments, nobody gave him enough damn time.

Herbert knelt down on the ground next to his partner's body, his chest was just barely rising and falling. His eyes were closed, lips parted, and his sweat soaked hair clung to his forehead. Herbert pushed his hair back away from his face, he allowed a moment to trail his fingertips over his sweat and blood stained skin. 

He would honestly never forgive himself if he allowed Dan to die. He needed him, for professional reasons of course.

“It's not like I have a reason to tell you, but this means you owe me. Big time.” He spoke to the man lying on the ground.

He lifted his head cradling him gently, he carefully pushed the needle in and injected the medicine. Herbert tossed the emptied syringe to the side and waited. His fingers rubbed against the back of Dan's neck and up into his hair that desperately needed cut. The taller man's body jerked and he began coughing, he grabbed at the front of Herbert's shirt pulling him down roughly. The shorter doctor placed a hand against his friend's chest steadying himself.

“Dan we need to get moving, we need to get to the helicopter with the others and leave. Come on, can you stand?”

The other man's eyes opened, he looked frantic and confused. He wasn't like the others had been, he had been just alive enough to be fine. Fine this was completely fine. Dan was alive, he was exactly as he had been before he had been attacked. He would be fine and Herbert would never tell him.

“What happened?”

“We were attacked, I had to drag you away so they wouldn't kill us. Enough questions we really need to leave.”

The gun shots were growing louder, so were the screams of angry rebels who didn't like the presence of soldiers and doctors on what they thought of as their territory. Herbert felt impatient and annoyed, he understood being disorientated, but this was a terrible time for it. He stood to his feet and pulled at Dan's hand urging him to stand. Dan put up no fight or argument, no more time wasting questions; he stood and nearly fell when his knees locked and his legs trembled. Herbert did his best to steady the much taller man, it was quite difficult to hold him up and walk carrying most of his weight considering the major height difference. He managed though, just like he had managed to drag his nearly dead body out of that tent amidst the gun fire. 

On the helicopter Dan remained silent, wide eyed, and in shock. He held onto Herbert's hand holding tightly enough that it was just starting to hurt, but he didn't personally mind it. He quite enjoyed taking care of his friend when he was in shock or after a panic attack.

 

Two months later....

 

“I can't do this anymore Herbert, this...All of this, you aren't even working to help humanity anymore. You just make these...These things!” Dan yelled as he gestured with a shaking hand to the latest creation laid out on the steel table in the basement of their shared home.

At one point in time it had been three different people, now it was one.

Herbert stood shaking and frustrated, he knotted his fingers in his hair as he tried to control his temper. Dan just barely had a hold over his own.

“I'm doing this for us, for humanity. Have you forgotten our deal?”

“Bull shit West, you lost your mind. Our deal was that I help you, because you had a great idea. This isn't what we were supposed to be doing, this is disgusting.”

His friend had been losing it for some time now or perhaps he'd always been insane and Dan had just been to blind to notice.

The shorter man felt hurt and angered by having the one person he trusted turn on him like this. 

“This is science, this is progress! You used to believe in this Dan, what's changed, because it sure as hell isn't me that's changed.”

“I can't do this anymore Herbert, I'm serious this time...I'm leaving, I can't be here anymore.”

He never should have let the young doctor move in with him back in medical school, he never should have listened to his insane ideas, and he sure as hell shouldn't have continued on with him after what had happened at the hospital and what had happened to Meg. He'd let things go too far, he'd let his feelings and his hopes and dreams cloud better judgment. Maybe Meg had been right about West.

Dan turned and started to leave only to have Herbert grab him by the arm and pull. Dan tried to pull out of his grip, but the shorter man did have a surprising amount of strength to him. He managed to shove Dan back up against the brick wall, he kept a hold on his arm and pressed his body up against him. He had to stand on his tip toes to even come close to the other man's height, but he still fell drastically short. He glared up at him, but Dan could see he was scared; that's what happened when you spent so much time with somebody like Herbert, you could see what they might actually be feeling. The worst part was that he felt bad for him.

“You owe me Dan, you fucking owe me. Don't you dare leave all of our work, our work that we risked our lives for.”

He hadn't saved his life for this, for him to leave him. How dare he try to leave all of this, leave him after what he had done for him?

“You can't just leave.” His voice shook and wavered.

He caught Dan by surprise when he grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him down, he pressed his lips against his kissing him roughly. He placed a hand on the back of Dan's neck his fingers petting over where he had injected the reagent into him months ago to bring him back. He expected the taller man to shove him away, but he did not. He grabbed him by his shoulders and held the smaller man against him kissing back with just as much rough desperate urgency. He owed him.


End file.
